The God of peace be with you on this fine day.
Today’s Kindle deals include Michael Wittmer’s excellent 40 Urban Legends of Theology along with a helpful resource on 1 John. Plus anything else I manage to track down in the morning.
Meanwhile, Westminster Books has a deal on Little Christmas Carol, a new book by the writers of Little Pilgrim’s Progress.
A Sycamore Tree, A Car Crash, And God’s Provision
This is an encouraging read. “When we think of God’s providential provision for his children, we often think in immediate terms—the unexpected financial gift that comes on the day the bill is due, the odds-defying recovery, or the new job starting right when the severance pay ended. These kinds of immediate interventions are marvellous. They should lead us to praise and give thanks to the God who gives them. But we should also be ready to see that many of God’s provisions are prepared for us long before our needs arise.”
Let the Cursor Blink
If the previous article is encouraging, this one is challenging (and maybe convicting). “The path of wisdom has footprints of restraint. It’s the idea of holding back or keeping back. There’s an intentional restriction of what is said. This is the self-control that knows that sometimes it’s better to be slow to speak or even not to speak (or text, or email, or post).”
Growing Your Church Through Evangelism and Outreach
Learn six principles from J.A. Medders and Doug Logan in their new book, The Soul-Winning Church, to excite your church members about evangelism. Get 25% off with code SOULWIN. (Sponsored)
The Astounding Family That Awaits Us
Dave Harvey: “Okay, I’m going to say something that may sound unsettling, but I want you to think about it. Are you ready? The whole idea of family, in the way we experience it on earth, is only temporary. There is a day coming when the concept of family will be swept up into a more glorious and satisfying arrangement. Don’t let that make you nervous. What awaits us is far more magnificent.”
4 Issues Your Children Are Facing That You Never Had To
Andrew and Christian Walker offer some help to parents. “What in America’s cultural landscape has changed that requires more intentionality on the part of Christian parents? Many topics could be discussed related to this issue, but here are four unique pressure points that have changed the landscape for Christian parenting in this generation, requiring us to have a strategy for how to remain faithful.”
The Desert Song
Mary Nolte tells how important it is to worship even in times of great difficulty.
We Need Good Protestant Ethicists
I agree with Carl Trueman on this. “In the space of a few decades, the moral intuitions of society have not simply parted company with those of Christianity—they have come to stand in direct opposition to many of them. That changes the pedagogical dynamics of church life. The churches now need to teach Christian ethics more explicitly and more thoroughly, because that is where the wider culture will challenge Christian discipleship most powerfully. Indeed, it is already doing so, and orthodox Protestantism seems ill-equipped to address this.”
Flashback: Simple Ways to Spark a Lukewarm Devotional Life
With September here and fall and winter laid out before us, perhaps this is the time to spark that lukewarm devotional life. Here are a few suggestions.
The God who was disgraced and shamed has eyes for those who have been disgraced and shamed.
—Ed Welch
